Bristol’s Biggest Food Festival Is Back

Bristol Food Connections 2018 is nearly here, so it’s time to plan your festival!

Bristol Food Connections is one the highlights of Bristol’s food calendar, with a ridiculous amount of events (130 at the last count!) taking place across the city from 11-17th June.

It’s a fairly huge festival, covering everything from growing your own food to huge gala dinners and talks on sustainability. We’ve decided to break down what’s happening and pick out a few of our favourites from this year’s programme.

Booze it up

There are plenty of ways to hit the hard stuff (and find out more about it too)…

• A Journey Through Gin on Brunel’s SS Great Britain (Thu 14th, £22)
  A tutored tasting of the full range of Bramley & Gage’s gins (inc. 6 O’Clock Gin) and liquers aboard Bristol’s historic ship.
• Traditional Cider Making, Orchard Tour & Tasting (Sun 17th, £10)
  Enjoy a guided tour of this orchard in North Somerset & taste several ciders.
• Whisky and the Senses (Tue 12th, £8)
  Find out why whisky tastes the way it does, and why you like some but not others.
• Cider vs Beer (Tue 12th, £25)
  Taste your way through a selection of great beers & ciders and find out their similarities and differences!
• Portuguese wine dinner (Sat 16th, £45)
  A three-course Portuguese dinner complimented with a paired wine flight.
• A Celebration of Bread & Beer (Fri 15th, Free)
  Left Handed Giant and Assembly Bakery join forces for this street food party in Finzels Reach.
• Avery’s Summer of Wine (Sat 16th, £25)
  Avery’s annual wine fiesta takes over Colston Hall, with over 100 wines for you to try!

See more of Bristol

With events dotted in every far flung corner of Bristol, now is the time to get out and explore!

• World Food Passport (All week, £8)
  Taste your way around the food businesses of Gloucester Road, collecting stamps as you go (or you can also do a guided food tour of Gloucester Road that week too).
• Behind the Scenes of a Gin Distillery (Sat 16th, £25)
  Head out to Thornbury for this special tour of 6 O’clock Gin’s distillery to find out more about how their delectable spirit is made (with plenty of tasters along the way, obv).
• Shroomshop (Sun 17th, £30)
  Get some hands-on tips about mushroom cultivation at this workshop in St Werbs.
• Thyme Trail (Fri 15th, £15)
  Visit various vendors in Wapping Wharf, hearing the stories behind the businesses and getting tasters as you go.
• TimeZone: Eat Your Way Around the World (Sat 16th, £4)
  Try a range of international cuisine in Easton, including Jamican, Indonesian and Spanish.
• Eco day at Hartcliffe City Farm (Sun 17th, Free)
  Try your hand at pond dipping, searching for bugs and other activities.

Educate yourself

It’s not just about filling your face with food, there’s plenty of opportunity to learn a new skill or hear some interesting perspectives on the food we eat too:

• In Our Hands Screening (Thu 14th, £5, or £12 with a two-course meal)
  Head to City Hall to see this thought-provoking documentary about Britain’s food system.
• Transforming the Education System Through Food (Tues 12th, £8)
  Can schools transform learning through diet? Head along to this talk to find out.
• Philosophy Breakfast: The Ethics of Global Food Production (Sun 17th, £14)
  Is it possible to eat ethically? Join the debate (breakfast included)
• Startup Stories (Tue 12th, £10)
  Hear from several Bristol food businesses how they started out, and how to build a successful independent business.
• The Secret Life of Cows (Sun 17th, £8)
  How do cows naturally behave, and what issues does this raise around farming?
• Fermentation Collaboration (Thu 14th, £25)
  The Pickled Brisket & Bristol Cider Shop explain the process of fermentation, followed by a cider tasting and one of Pickled Brisket’s mega sandwiches.

Fantastical feasts

Some seriously special dinner events from well-known chefs and local producers…

• FUTURE: FEAST (Mon 11th, £25)
  Star Trek meets Come Dine With Me in an ‘immersive dining experience’.
• A Summer’s Feast (Fri 15th & Sat 16th, £30)
  The next generation of Bristol chefs serve up a seasonal feast.
• It’s a Bristol Ting! (Sun 17th, Free)
  Celebrate Bristol’s Jamaican community with rum & jerk chicken at Lakota.
• Chocolate Gala Dinner (Mon 11th, £35)
  A special dinner to kick-off festival week, with all 3 courses featuring chocolate.
• Summer Dine & Vine Feast (Thu 14th, £30)
  A three-course tasting menu paired with bio-dynamic wines.
• Homegrown Collective Supper Club (Fri 15th, £35)
  Three-courses of local, seasonal food accompanied by music.

There are also loads of free talks and demos at the Festival Hub (next to Watershed) throughout the week, so it’s worth stopping by to see what’s on!

See the full Bristol Food Connections Programme

Shonette Laffy

Often to be found propping up a bar and eyeing up its rum selection, Shonette is an avid Bristol explorer and food muncher – take a look at her blog A Life Less Organised for her guides to the city’s best pub crawls, roasts and more.